New Zealand will abolish a world-first rule prohibiting tobacco sales for future generations on Tuesday, the government announced, despite warnings from researchers and campaigners about the risk of people dying as a result.
The harshest anti-tobacco rules in the world, set to go into effect in July, would have outlawed sales to anybody born after January 1, 2009, reduced nicotine content in smoked tobacco products, and reduced the number of tobacco outlets by more than 90%.
The new coalition government elected in October indicated that the repeal will take place on Tuesday as a matter of urgency, allowing it to abolish the law without seeking public comment, as previously announced.
Associate Health Minister Casey Costello stated that the coalition government was dedicated to eliminating smoking but would employ a different regulatory strategy to discourage the habit and limit the harm it caused.
“I will soon be taking a package of measures to the cabinet to increase the tools available to help people quit smoking”, Costello said, adding that vaping restrictions would be tightened to dissuade young people.
The decision has been strongly attacked for its anticipated impact on health outcomes in New Zealand, but it has also raised concerns that it will have a greater impact on Maori and Pasifika people, who have higher smoking rates.
According to Otago University researcher Janet Hoek, repeal contradicts rigorous research data, overlooks measures highly supported by Maori leaders, and perpetuates health imbalances.
“Large-scale clinical trials and modeling studies show that the legislation would have rapidly increased the rates of quitting among smokers and made it much harder for young people to take up smoking”, said Hoek, co-director of a group researching strategies to reduce smoking.
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